Quote:
Originally Posted by 1overcosc
Its interesting that Ontario does not have, and has never had, a Highway 1. Resignating the 17 & 417 to Ontario Highway 1 would be a nice touch to help bring consistent TCH numbering. Ontario would hate that though as it likes to retain numbering consistency among its 400-series highways.
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Here's one possible explanation for it, from
The King's Highway.ca
Q. Why does Ontario not have a Highway 1?
A. The exact reason is not clear, but reportedly, Highway 1 was omitted from the 1925 route numbering system to eliminate conflicts between many of Ontario's larger towns, who all demanded to be on a highway bearing the route number "1". Given the geographic shape of Ontario, it would have been impossible for the Department of Highways to number a route that would pass through every major town in Ontario. Rather than risk any accusations of favouritism, the Department decided that they would simply not designate a Highway 1, and thus began the route numbering at 2.
Source page
The Q/A just above that one notes:
The QEW is sometimes referred to internally by the Ministry of Transportation as either "Highway 1" or "Highway 451"
A bit of
historical trivia - The QEW between Toronto and Burlington was built during the mid-1930s along what was known as the "Middle Road" between Hwy 2 (Lakeshore Rd) and Hwy 5 (Dundas St.). That section was complete by 1937, and then over the next few years extended to Niagara Falls. It was given its name in 1939 when King George VI and wife Queen Elizabeth visited... so it's actually named for the Queen Mum.
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